Last week, on Musicians Corner, I featured the first part of my interview with OluwaDrumma. This is the second and concluding part of that interview and here we got talking about the way forward for the Music industry in Jos. You can read the first part of the interview here. Enjoy!
Spirit: Are there some challenges you face with doing music here in Jos?
Oluwadrumma: Well, the music industry in Jos is growing, and you know for every growing industry, there is bound to be challenges. The music industry in Lagos right now wasn’t always like this 15 to 20 years ago, but it has grown. One of the things I’ve noticed with people who do music in Jos is that they are, often times, not confident that their art is good enough to sustain them if they make a market for it. You know, depending on other sources of income makes an artist distracted cos the time they should be investing in their craft is taken by something else. And I don’t blame anybody because surviving in Nigeria is very tough.
But making music in Jos is very special for me because I don’t think you can find a bunch of very talented musicians any other place in world, as you would find in Jos. And it’s just a matter of time and effort. Thank God for people who are doing things for the music industry in Jos, music journalists like you, bloggers, etc. I mean, that’s what the music industry in Jos needs. We need to have a voice, we need to say “Hey, we are here”. We need to get the attention of the world and we cannot do that by being silent.
And we back that up with availability of quality content. That’s one thing I noticed when I was in Lagos. The market is so competitive that if you weren’t good at what you do, you lose out. Simple! That’s the kind of attitude we need to cultivate in Jos.
Spirit: Wow! You really have passion for the growth of the music industry in Jos… Now, let’s talk about Kr8 radio. How did the vision come about? And how did you start?
Oluwadrumma: Well, the vision for Kr8 was born out of my passion for the musicians in Jos. I realized that we needed to tell our own story, and we can’t do that without radio, social media, you know, covering events and putting the word out there that something is happening here in Jos. That’s what gave birth to the vision.
So, I called my friend, Igwe and a couple of friends and we sat down together to strategize. I had never done internet radio before, so the whole process was entirely new. I had to do a lot of research and study and finally we got the ball rolling. I’m proud to say we were the first internet radio in the Northern part of Nigeria. With time, we beagan to expanded, had a blog, created a music store, and began a vlog.
We’re still growing and still establishing the brand. We hope to provide solutions to music related problems in the future, because we want artists to be comfortable and excel in their crafts. Right now, we are limited in what we do because of funds but we’re not giving up.
Spirit: Interesting! Now, I know you have a lot on your plate. How do you manage with all these responsibilities; the studio, the radio and now your home?
Oluwadrumma: Umm… First of all, I would say the help of God. Secondly, I have a lot of people around me who are very supportive and who take their work very seriously. Amazing people. I can’t begin to mention names because they are quite many. And I’m grateful to God for blessing me with these people. Something that helps me and my team is that we try as much as possible to always set goals and aim towards accomplishing those goals.
Thirdly, I have a very understanding wife who is also very supportive of what I do. In fact, she motivates me to do more. And I’m grateful to God for her. This has been one of my biggest fears with regards to marriage; I didn’t want to marry someone who would slow me down or be a setback to my goals. And thankfully, God gave me a woman who understands me and encourages to do more.
Spirit: Thank you for your sincerity. Now, beyond just making music, you seem to have a heart for the gospel and it is very evident. Can you say this has limited you in any way with regards to success in music?
Oluwadrumma: Yes, I love God and I have a heart for the Gospel. Some time ago, I used to do a lot of stuff for a lot of people, on that road to fame, you know na. But I got a point, I wasn’t satisfied anymore, and I’m not talking about money, I mean that inner peace/ satisfaction was lacking. I just felt like I was doing something wrong, you know. Those times when I’m mixing a song and I’m hearing the lyrics, and I know, deep down, that this song I’m mixing will contribute greatly to the further decadence of the society. It goes beyond the money, you know. So, I made up my mind, and till date, I don’t accept songs that encourage moral decadence. Cos I know music contributes, up to 75%, to the moral decadence in our society today. It’s a fact. Music can either positively or negatively influence people.
Has that limited me in any way? It’s a choice I made. Being a Christian, I see it as my responsibility to fix my ‘Father’s House’ (the church) first, before attempting to fix my neighbour’s house. I used to complain about music in the church and kept comparing the Christian Music industry with the mainstream industry, but I realized that such complains would not solve the problem. So, instead of complaining, we ought to contribute towards changing the narrative instead. And that’s what I’ve decided to do.
Spirit: That’s awesome. It seems you and I have the same philosophy about music. Now, what advice would you give someone aspiring to be a music producer like you?
Oluwadrumma: Alright, first of all, I would advise such a person to get their facts right. By this, I mean learn the basics of music. Learning how to make beats is not the first thing you should go for. A lot of producers find it difficult to evolve in their sound because the basics are not there. So learn the basics.
Secondly, be sure of why you’re going into music production. And make up your mind that you’re going to stay, even if the whole world turns against you. Don’t go into music production with uncertainty in your mind as to whether or not this is what you want to do.
Thirdly, you need to be very patient with creativity. It could be very frustrating trying to get into the creative mood. So you have to very patient with yourself and be patient with the creative process.
Spirit: Any final words for upcoming music artists and producers?
Oluwadrumma: Yes… For upcoming artists and producers, know that everything is possible. Believe it. Truth is, nothing great can be accomplished without faith. So, have faith; know that you’re going to be fine. And then trust the creative process. Don’t be under pressure to impress anybody with things you can’t achieve at any point. At some point, you’re going to have people (maybe even people you respect) start questioning what you do, try to discourage you, asking why there are little or no results to show for it. But don’t let them stop you. Know that if this is God’s call/ ministry, then He is the only one you should listen to.
Spirit: Wow! Thank you very much for accepting to do this, and for your time. Thank you for your transparency. I’m sure my readers would learn a lot from this. God bless you!
Oluwadrumma: Thank you for having me. I count it a privilege to be able to share my story. Thank you very much for doing this for music and for the city of Jos. I pray that God increases what you’re doing. And please don’t stop.
Alright folks, with this, we’ve come to the end of my interview with OluwaDrumma. I’m sure you learnt a lot from this concluding part, especially with the talk about the Music industry in Jos. You can follow OluwaDrumma on Facebook or Instagram @Oluwadrumma.
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